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Airfield Operations Specialists: apprenticeship hours and pay
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Approved apprenticeship titles
2 apprenticeship titles on the Department of Labor's approved list fall under Airfield Operations Specialists, trained competency-based, hybrid, time-based. The shortest approved term is 2,000 hours, for Airfield Management (competency-based).
| Title | RAPIDS code | Approach and term |
|---|---|---|
| Airfield Management | 1063 | Competency-Based: 2,000 hours Hybrid: 2,000 to 2,500 hours Time-Based: 2,000 hours |
| Operations Resource Flight/Jump Management | 1064 | Competency-Based: 2,000 hours Hybrid: 2,000 to 2,500 hours Time-Based: 2,000 hours |
Time-based programs count hours on the job; competency-based programs move on when the apprentice shows the skills; hybrid programs use both, within a range of hours (29 CFR 29.5(b)(2)). Each registered program sets its own term inside what the approved title allows.
What airfield operations specialists earn, by state
Kentucky has the highest state median for airfield operations specialists ($123,290) and West Virginia the lowest ($28,670), across the 36 states with a published figure.
| State | Median pay | Hourly | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | $123,290 | $59.27 | 290 |
| Washington | $84,050 | $40.41 | 150 |
| Alabama | $78,590 | $37.79 | Not published |
| Arizona | $77,570 | $37.30 | 160 |
| Colorado | $77,500 | $37.26 | 70 |
| Oregon | $75,130 | $36.12 | 50 |
| Virginia | $72,250 | $34.74 | 280 |
| Alaska | $71,510 | $34.38 | 160 |
| New Mexico | $69,090 | $33.22 | 50 |
| Georgia | $66,790 | $32.11 | 340 |
| California | $62,600 | $30.10 | 1,660 |
| Idaho | $62,510 | $30.05 | 40 |
| Michigan | $61,780 | $29.70 | 440 |
| Nevada | $61,350 | $29.49 | 150 |
| Texas | $60,910 | $29.28 | 1,310 |
| Utah | $59,780 | $28.74 | 290 |
| Florida | $57,650 | $27.72 | 2,320 |
| Ohio | $57,140 | $27.47 | 360 |
| Massachusetts | $56,020 | $26.93 | 380 |
| Pennsylvania | $55,660 | $26.76 | 340 |
| Puerto Rico | $50,180 | $24.13 | 820 |
| Oklahoma | $49,200 | $23.65 | 80 |
| Iowa | $48,870 | $23.50 | 40 |
| North Carolina | $45,820 | $22.03 | 610 |
| Mississippi | $44,290 | $21.29 | Not published |
| New Jersey | $42,480 | $20.42 | Not published |
| New York | $42,000 | $20.19 | 2,190 |
| Missouri | $40,360 | $19.41 | 310 |
| Tennessee | $40,180 | $19.32 | 190 |
| Wisconsin | $39,400 | $18.94 | 100 |
| South Dakota | $37,860 | $18.20 | 190 |
| Indiana | $37,730 | $18.14 | 350 |
| North Dakota | $37,550 | $18.05 | 80 |
| Montana | $33,990 | $16.34 | 90 |
| South Carolina | $33,590 | $16.15 | 90 |
| West Virginia | $28,670 | $13.79 | 60 |
Finding a program
The public sponsor file names the organizations that run registered apprenticeships but not the occupations each one trains, so this guide names no sponsor. Search apprenticeship.gov's Apprenticeship Finder for this title, or ask your American Job Center which local programs train it.
Apprenticeship sponsors by state (25,633) · All approved occupations
Sources: apprenticeship.gov approved occupations list (Last-Modified October 8, 2026); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (all industries; blanks are figures BLS does not publish).